Dairy cultures

The global dairy industry increasing focus on product development and differentiation of dairy foods has brought starter cultures with specific and well-defined properties into focus. Neo Ltd. offers dairy-culture solutions for all product applications.

Cheese cultures

Direct Vat Set cultures

In recent years, a growing number of Chr. Hansen customers have converted to our Direct Vat Set (DVS) products, which offer several important benefits:

* ease of use and flexibility in production
* no variation in performance
* no investment in bulk-starter equipment
* the opportunity to use customized culture blends

Chr. Hansen cheese cultures are divided into the following groups, based on the production method and performance criteria required:

Soft and semi-soft cheeses, incl. white mould surface, red smear and blue cheese
For the gentle acid development of Camembert, with its firm center, the faster acid requirements of the softer Brie and the subtle flavour development in soft cheese. Understanding the interplay between the acid-producing starter culture and the red smear or blue mould used in ripening is of paramount importance to the correct balance between flavour, texture and appearance.

Feta and brined cheeses - Composed cultures with the optimal ratio between coccus and rods for the balanced proteolysis and lipolysis which gives the perfect piquant and characteristic Feta taste.

Cottage cheeses - In this sector, a general requirement is high phage resistance. Cottage cheeses need fast acid production, while flavour development during storage is important for Feta and other brine-stored cheeses.

Continental semi-hard cheeses - Consistent acid and gas production to give a good flavour and appearance are the main needs, effectively combined with adjunct or other surface ripening cultures.

Pasta filata cheeses - Here the needs are for fast acid production, phage resistance and control of the stretching properties. For pizza cheeses, other specific properties are also important, such as the degree of browning and oiling off.

Cheddar and related cheeses - The cheddar producer looks for fast acid production, phage resistance and controlled flavour development during maturation.

Swiss and Emmentaler cheeses - Lactic acid development after a high scald cooking period and the capacity to work in tandem with the special propionic bacteria used to give good eye and flavour formation are the important characteristics for cultures in this sector.

Italian hard cheeses - This segment - cheeses that are usually stored for two years before consumption - requires cultures that can withstand high temperatures and prolonged cooking periods before developing acid and flavour.

Yoghurt and fermented Milk cultures

Chr Hansen has become a world leader in this field precisely because they satisfy those requirements, whether the need is optimization of the production of an established product or the development of a new one.

To keep pace with market demands, a growing number of Chr. Hansen customers in the fermented milk sector have in recent years converted to our Direct Vat Set (DVS) products. As in cheesemaking, the benefits include ease of use, flexibility and consistency in production, the elimination of investment in bulk starter equipment and the opportunity to
use customized culture blends.

Starter cultures for fermented milk products

YoFlexTM cultures for yoghurt classified by yoghurt taste and viscosity formation. A tool for obtaining high and consistent product quality. The key characteristics in Yo-flex are flexibility, simplicity and high performance.

eXactTM cultures for cultured milk products - e.g. buttermilk, creme fraiche and quark - classified by level of milk solids, aroma and texture. From the pourable through the spoonable to the spreadable, Chr. Hansen has the culture you need. Precision in the production of these varied cultured milks is achieved through the use of combinations of strains characterized by aroma, exopolysaccharide and acid production.

For more information please contact our representative: Indra Rūsiņa-Bedre.